This weekend marks the 26th-annual Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine. Sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the fair celebrates sustainable living, organic Maine-grown food, and innovative agricultural products and techniques.

It also affords visitors a totally organic, chemical-free environment complete with tidy recycling bins and a ban on refined sugar. (Just outside the fairground gates is an extremely popular coffee cart.)

But you need not travel to Unity or give up refined sugar to start cutting chemicals from your daily experience. Just pick up a skein of lightly processed yarn from your nearest earth-friendly farm and start knitting.

New This WeekMarr Haven is one such farm. Located in Allegan, Michigan, the family-run business transforms the fiber from its merino-Rambouillet flock into a minimally processed, chemical-free yarn. And guess what? It's marvelous.

The New Year Arrives EarlyAlmost a week ahead of schedule, our beautiful "Year in Yarn" calendar will go on sale on Tuesday for $12.95. Between now and then, check out the inside images in the boutique. If you like what you see, you can pre-order your copy for shipment next week.

September Subscriber PrizeWhat would you do with a $50 gift certificate from Williams-Sonoma? Start dreaming, because that's our subscriber prize for this month! We'll announce the winner at the end of September.

Send Those Applications!I'm excited to say that more than 30 of you have already registered to join us for the November Knitter's Review retreat in Virginia. If you're interested but haven't sent in your registration yet, we have until the beginning of October before we must relinquish any unreserved rooms. Learn more about how you can join us.

Happy knitting, and I'll chat with you in the forums!

Sincerely,

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